The U.S. Senate on Wednesday voted to confirm Michael Regan as the next administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, which will play a central role in the Biden administration’s plans to slash greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, vehicles and oil and gas facilities, reports Reuters.
Regan, 44, was the head of North Carolina’s environmental regulator, where he earned a reputation as a consensus builder.
At his confirmation hearing, he was introduced by North Carolina’s two Republican senators and stressed that he will work with every state to ensure that their concerns about the transition to cleaner energy are heard.
In an announcement yesterday, POET said it was ready to work on a new partnership following Regan's confirmation.
“It’s a new day at the EPA," Joshua Shields, senior vice president of Government Affairs and Communications at POET said in the statement. "We look forward to working with Administrator Regan to combat the climate crisis and reduce toxic vehicle emissions, improving the air in all of our communities, especially urban areas.
"As the Biden Administration looks for solutions to build back better and cleaner, biofuels, like E15, are a fuel option that’s ready today and will reduce harmful emissions poisoning the air and warming our planet," Shields continued. "There’s no single solution to solve the climate crisis, but POET looks forward to working with Administrator Regan to effectively implement the RFS, which is the nation’s most successful renewable fuel policy to date and work on additional ways biofuels can clean up our transportation fleet on the road today.”
Shields noted that E15 can play an immediate role in lowering emissions from vehicles already on the road. A new paper details seven policies the Biden administration can enact within the first 100 days by encouraging the use of E15: an accessible and affordable fuel that can reduce emissions in 245 million cars, trucks and SUVs. The emissions reductions from shifting to E15 nationwide are equivalent to removing 3.8 million vehicles from the road each year.
For more information, visit AmericasFuel.com.
The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) also congratulated Regan for his appointment.
“We are committed to working with our domestic and international partners to continue our sustainability journey and we know that research and development underway in our industry today will provide innovative solutions to tomorrow’s pressing food and climate challenges," AFIA’s President and CEO Constance Cullman said in a statement.
"We look forward to working with an EPA leader who understands the burden the agriculture industry is facing in providing food for a growing population, while promoting good human and animal health and preserving the earth’s precious natural resources," she continued. "We stand committed to discussing with Administrator Regan the ways our nearly 700 member companies can drive scientific progress and positive change within any U.S. environmental plans of action.”
